Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, speaks to the American Bar Association House of Delegates, after receiving the American Bar Association Medal at Moscone West on Monday, August 12, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif.

Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle

Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, speaks to the...

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Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, speaks to the American Bar Association House of Delegates, after receiving the American Bar Association Medal at Moscone West on Monday, August 12, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif.

Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle

Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, speaks to the...

Image 5 of 11

Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, speaks to the American Bar Association House of Delegates, after receiving the American Bar Association Medal at Moscone West on Monday, August 12, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif.

Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle

Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, speaks to the...

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Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom listens to former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (not shown) speak after she was awarded the American Bar Association Medal at Moscone West on Monday, August 12, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif.

Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle

Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom listens to former Secretary of...

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Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (middle), prepares to speak to the American Bar Association House of Delegates after being awarded the American Bar Association Medal by American Bar Association president Laurel Bellows (bottom) at Moscone West on Monday, August 12, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif.

Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle

Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (middle),...

Image 8 of 11

Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, speaks to the American Bar Association House of Delegates, after receiving the American Bar Association Medal at Moscone West on Monday, August 12, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif.

Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle

Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, speaks to the...

Image 9 of 11

Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (right) and American Bar Association president Laurel Bellows (left) arrive before Bellows awards the American Bar Association Medal to Clinton at Moscone West on Monday, August 12, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif.

Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle

Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (right) and...

Image 10 of 11

Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (right), is awarded the American Bar Association Medal by American Bar Association president Laurel Bellows (left) before speaking to the American Bar Association House of Delegates at Moscone West on Monday, August 12, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif.

Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle

Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (right), is...

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Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, is seen before being awarded the American Bar Association Medal and speaking to the American Bar Association House of Delegates at Moscone West on Monday, August 12, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif.

In a move that appears to edge her closer to a 2016 presidential run, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday that she will make a series of addresses around the nation to explore key issues - kicking off the effort in San Francisco, where she made a strong appeal to protect the voting rights that she called "the heart of America's democratic experiment."

Clinton urged her audience at the American Bar Association's convention in San Francisco to join the fight for protection of voting rights, arguing that in last year's election there was "a sweeping effort to construct new obstacles to voting," sparked by what she called "phantom" claims of widespread voter fraud.

"Anyone who says that racial discrimination is no longer a problem in American elections must not be paying attention," said Clinton, adding that this year "more than 80 bills restricting voter rights have been introduced in 31 states."

"How we protect our freedoms here at home gives us the right to be a moral leader globally," Clinton told the gathering of hundreds of attorneys at Moscone Center, where she received the bar association's highest honor, the ABA Medal, for her contributions to law and her lifelong advocacy on behalf of women lawyers.

Clinton said a June U.S. Supreme Court ruling "struck at the heart" of the Voting Rights Act, which was enacted during the Civil Rights era to protect minority voters. Since the ruling, she added, "we have seen an unseemly rush to enact or enforce laws that will make it harder for millions of our fellow Americans to vote," especially African Americans, Latinos and youth.

Wants Congress to act

She called on Congress to take additional measures to protect against discrimination, including "making it easier for people to get registered and stay registered," putting in place "fair and uniform" identification standards, supporting same-day registration, and improving security on electronic voting machines.

Her appeal came the same day that North Carolina became the first state to enact new voting restrictions since the nation's highest court struck down part of the Voting Rights Act. The North Carolina law requires voters to present photo identification at the polls. It was immediately challenged by civil rights groups.

Clinton's speech to the ABA, which represents 400,000 attorneys nationwide, kicked up a frenzy of speculation about whether it was a sign that she plans a 2016 run for the White House - with polls showing her with a commanding lead over other potential candidates, Democrats and Republicans alike.

Series of speeches

While she made no direct mention of her political plans, Clinton said her San Francisco address would kick off a series of speeches she will give in the U.S. in the coming months. Next month in Philadelphia, she said, she will address "the issue of transparency" in America's national security policies. Later in the year, she said, she will explore implications for "American's global leadership and our moral standing around the world."

She also plans to appear in November at a Bay Area event aimed at voters under 30 - known as the Millennial generation - with her daughter, Chelsea, said Susie Tompkins Buell, a longtime Clinton friend and a finance chairwoman of the ReadyforHillary.com political action committee.